Star-finder



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.-

v H. R. JOHNSON.

I STAR FINDER. N0. 395,058.

Patented Dec. 25, 1888.

jg(INVENTOR:

WITNESSES:

' ATTORNEYS."

n. FETER$ P'Mwljlhograpbur. wmn m no.

. (No Model.)

H. R. JOHNSON.

STAR FINDER. No. 395,058 Patented Dec. 25, 1888.

my. a;

mag,

WITNESSES: IN VENTOR:

BYVLW ATTORNEYS.

N, PETERS, Phoiolithognpher, Wishing! D, C.

2 8heets-Sheet 2.

Trice.

PATENT HUBERT R. JOHNSON, OF NATRONA, PENNSYLVANIA.

STAR-FINDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 395,058, dated December 25, 1888.

Serial No. 278,694. (No model.)

o aZZ 1071 0722, it may concern:

Be it known that I, HUBERT R. JOHNSON, of Natrona, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and ImprovedStar-Finder, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved astronomical instrument for finding the location of heavenly obj ects such as stars, planets, nebulae, &c.-the names of which are known and for finding the names of heavenly objects the locations of which are known.

The invention consists of certain parts and details and combinations of the same, as will be fully described hereinafter, and then pointed out in the claim.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the improvement. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a sectional side elevation of the same 011 the line 0c of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the improvement. Fig. 5 is a sectional plan view of the same on the line y y of Fig. 3, and Fig. 6 is a table giving the polar distances and right ascension.

On a suitabl v constructed tripod, A, is mounted to turn an arm, B, held in any desired position on the said tripod A by a setscrew, (7, screwing in the tripod A and against the lower part of the arm 13. The upper part of the arm B supports a clan'lping-screw, D, on which is held to turn the upwardly-extending arm E, carrying a screw, F, on which is held to turn an arm, G, supporting at its upper end a disk, H, held at right angles to the said arm G and provided on top with a graduation, I, representing degrees and subdivisions of degrees arranged in a circle from 0 to 180 and back to O, as is plainly shown in Fig. i. In the center of the diskll is secured a screw, J, on which is mounted to turn a pointer, K, which may be a plain piece of wood or metal or a small telescope. The ends of the pointer K preferably project beyond the periphery of the disk H. The pointer K is pressed firmly in contact with the disk H bya spring, L, held under the head of the bolt J and resting with I its ends on the pointer K, as shown in Figs, 3

and 4.

On the upper part of the arm E is secured a disk, N, held centrally 011 the screw F at the rear of the arm G, above described. Said disk N is provided with an annular hub or offset, 0, on which is mounted to turn loosely a disk, P, which then stands at right angles to the disk H and is provided on its front face with the graduations Q and R, of which the graduation Q represents the distances from 0 to 360, and the graduation R represents similar distances, but is arranged in such a manner in relation to the degrees of the graduation Q that the mark for 180 on the graduation R ends at the 0 point of the graduation Q, and the 0 point of the graduation R is at the mark for .180 of the graduation Q, as is plainly shown in Fig. 1. On the graduations Q and R indicate a pointer, S, formed on the lower end of the arm G, as is plainly shown inFigs. :3 and v l The arm G is pressed firmly in contact with l the front of the disk N by means of a spring, T, held under the head of the screw F, its free ends resting on the said arm G, and the disk P is pressed against the back of the disk Nin a similar manner by a spring, U, held on the screw F between the arm E and the oifset- O, its free ends pressing against the said disk P, as is plainly shown in Fig. 5. flhe springs L, T, and U permit a convenientturning of the pointer K, the arm G, and the disk P, respectively, but at the same time hold thesaid parts in position after being adjusted to any desired point.

The instrument as abovedescribed is used in connection with atable, part of which is illustrated in Fig. 6, and in which the north polar distances and the right ascension of each star or other heavenly obj cat are given.

The operation is as follows: \Vhen the operator desires to find the location of a heavenly objectthe name of which he knows, he proceeds in the following manner: The tripod A is set up at a convenient place in the open air, and then the operator turns the pointer K until it stands at 0 and 180, which points are opposite each other on the graduation, the l O-mark pointing northward and the mark for 180 southward or downward, after which he loosens the screws C and D and turns the arms B and E until the pointer K points to the North Star in the constellation Ursa Minor. 3 The operator then tightens the clamping-i screws (1 and I), so that the arms E and 1% become fixed on the tripod A. After adjusting the instrument as described, the pointer K is moved to 39 on the left side of the graduation I on the disk IT, and then the arm G is turned on the screw 1 until the pointer K is i in line with the end star of the constellation ot Ursa Major, which constellation the operator is supposed to know. \Yhen this star and the pointer K coincide, the operator turns the graduated disk I. until the mark for 205 of the graduation ,1 is under the pointer S. Thus it will be seen that the arm E is first adjusted to one fixed point in the heavens (the North Star) and then the disk P is adjusted to a second fixed point-the end star of Ursa Major. When the operator now desires to find, for instance, the star Alpha in. the constellation of Orion, he refers to the table shown in Fig. 6, and there finds the north polar distance of that star to be 35, and he also finds the right ascension of this particular star to be 205.

dieates the degrees above given on the disk 11, and then turns the arm G until the pointer 5 indicates the degrees of the rightascension on the graduation Qon the disk P. The pointer K will then point to the star Alpha in the constellation of Orion. Thus by adj usting the pointer K to the north polar distance of any given heavenly object, and then adjusting the arm G with its pointer S to the right ascension of the same heavenly object,

the operator can easily find the location of the said heavenly object, as the pointer K 1 then points in the direction of the object sought. 'In a similar manner the o )erator can f find the name of a heavenly object he secs 5 with the naked eye, and of which he does not 1 know the name, by first setting the instrument in such a position that the pointer K is in linewith thenorth polar star, as above described, and then turning the arm G and the pointer K until the latter is in line with the objectof which the name is not known to the The operator then reads off the f operator. degrees on the disk H at which the pointer stands and reads Oil the degrees on the disk P in the graduation Q at which the pointer S stands, and then refers to the table shown in The operator now turns the pointer K until it inj Fig. (i, in which, by comparison of the north polar distance and the right ascension, he will find the name of the star or other heavenlybod y he had been. observing. The graduation R on the disk I is for the purpose oi finding the number of degrees on the disk 1 in case the arm (l with its pointer S cannot be turned far enough. In this case the operator turns the pointer h to 25 on the inner graduation, R, which it is always sure i to reach.

It will. be seen that the name of any star 3 can be found, and any star olf which the name is known can also be found, at the same time any visible constellation can be easily detern'iined and a fixed cluster of stars-sluj-h as the ll'yades, Pleiades, &-e.ean be easily loeated. The point on the horizon wherea star will rise or set can be detern'iined by proper use of the instrument, and the part of the l heavens in which a certain star will be at any 1 given hour can be ctmveniently located, and y the course of a star across the sky can be marked out, and when the operator desires 1 he can easily determine at what time a star will rise or set or be in any part of its course i at a given time. The Zodiac can be traced iby the pointer K, and the instrument can 1 also be used for assistance .in finding comets. i No knowledge of astronon'iy is necessary in order to use the instrument, and any number of persons may enjoy the use of the instrument together. It is operated by one person, but a number ol persons can view the objeel in turn.

I'laving thus described my lllVUllliOl'l, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent In a stai l'inder, the (:(nnbinz'ttion, with the arm E, of the arm (l, provided with the pointer S, the disk N, provided with the offset 0, the graduated disk P, fitting on the ot'iset oi the said disk, the screw 11, passing through the l arm (l, the disk N, and arm E. the spring 1 having its ends bearing against the said arm (l, the spring l', having its ends bearing against the disk P, the disk ll, the pointer l\., l the screw J, and the spring 'L, having its ends resting against the pointer K, substantially as herein shown and described.

IIl lllCR'l It. .lUllNStLY. 

